The Role of Comparative Processes in Shaping the Effects of Between-Class Ability Grouping on Students' Math Ability Self-Concept.

Many researchers have studied the effects of ability grouping on students' academic self-concept due to its critical importance for students' educational choices and trajectories. However, the available evidence is almost exclusively correlational, the results are inconsistent, and it is thus unclear how ability grouping may influence students' academic self-concept. This study applies causal inference methods to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of math ability grouping on students' math self-concept. Using a quasi-experimental design and following students who transitioned from elementary school (Grade 6) to middle school (Grade 7) with or without ability grouping (N = 1,660, 90% White, 53% female), we investigated whether between-class math ability grouping impacts seventh graders' formation of their math self-concept through comparative processes (social and dimensional comparisons) and objective performance information. Through propensity score weighting and average marginal effect estimation, we found that high-grouped students reported lower math self-concepts than high-achieving ungrouped students, and low-grouped students reported higher math self-concepts than low-achieving ungrouped students at the end of Grade 7. Average-achieving students attending schools with a between-class grouping policy showed stronger dimensional comparison effects than their ungrouped counterparts. The effects of prior math performance on math self-concept were nonsignificant for high- and low-achieving students, regardless of their grouping status. These findings advance our understanding of how pervasive school practices, such as ability grouping, shape students' self-relevant motivational beliefs. Educational Impact and Implications Statement: The adverse effects of academic tracking on students' academic self-concept are one of the main reasons educational psychologists argue against this practice, but the available, primarily correlational, evidence is inconclusive. This study used causal inference methods in a sample of students transitioning from an untracked elementary school to a middle school with or without between-class ability grouping practices. Between-class ability grouping was linked to enhanced math ability self-concepts of low-performing students but diminished math ability self-concepts of high-performing students due to social comparisons with peers. Furthermore, between-class ability grouping seems to nudge students to compare their strengths and weaknesses across math and verbal domains, potentially influencing early specialization in one of these domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]